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=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Zentris (tm) version 1.31 The Best 'Tris in the World (tm) Copyright (c) 1991-92 Robert J. Sundling Documentation (February 21, 1992) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Zenithal Software (tm) 200 Rowe Street Stoughton, WI 53589-2352 United States of America Zentris Manual Table of Contents Preamble/Foreword/Opening/Prelude/Introduction . . . . 1 A Note on Viruses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Zentris Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 How To Register Zentris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 The History of Zentris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 The Nature of Zentris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Playing Zentris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Keyboard controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Joystick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Joystick Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Invocation Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Special Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Next Piece . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Stats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Gray scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Shell to DOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Redraw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Pause . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Sound on/off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Initials on/off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Joystick calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Quit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 DESQView . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Microsoft Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 New Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 The Best 'Tris in the World? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Alphabetical Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Preamble/Foreword/Opening/Prelude/Introduction Copyright 1991,92 Robert J. Sundling. All Rights Reserved. Zentris is a product of Zenithal Software, Ltd. Zentris is protected by the copyright laws of the United States and its treaty provisions for foreign countries. Zentris, Zenithal Software, and The Best 'Tris in the World are trademarks of Robert J. Sundling. DOS, Microsoft, and Microsoft Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. DESQView is a trademark of Quarterdeck Office Systems. Tetris is a trademark of V/O Electronorgtechnica (Elorg). All other trademarks or service marks belong to their respective companies. Disclaimer of liability: The author makes no warranties, expressed or implied, as to this product, including but not limited to implied warranties of suitability for a particular purpose, or any damages that may result from its use, such as lost profits or damaged equipment, among other possibilities. A Note on Viruses The Zentris program is stored in an encrypted format in an attempt to prevent viruses from modifying its code. A CRC check may be added in the future if it is deemed necessary. Zentris Contacts If you wish to purchase a copy of Zentris, or have any questions or comments about the game, please contact: Robert J. Sundling Zenithal Software, Ltd. 200 Rowe Street Stoughton, WI 53589-2352, USA Voice: (608) 873-8385 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm CST BBS: Bob Sundling at Synergy, (608) 277-0280 Fidonet: Bob Sundling of 1:121/2000 (The Congenial Scene) UUCP: bob.sundling@f2000.n121.z1.fidonet.org If you represent a company interested in marketing Zentris, please contact: Peter Kienitz Marketing Manager, Alpha Computers M/S FRS-V 301 Troy Drive Madison, WI 53704-1521, USA Voice: (608) 244-9758 Zentris Manual (February 21, 1992) Page 1 How To Register Zentris You may only use this program for an evaluation period of two weeks. If you continue to use Zentris after this period, you MUST pay for it. In exchange for the $10 fee, you get the following: * A license to legally use Zentris. * The latest version of Zentris on-disk, with no time- delayed registration messages. * Unlimited future upgrades to Zentris, for a cost of only $5 each (to cover the cost of a disk, disk mailer, and postage), and notification of any major upgrades to Zentris. * Joystick support and a keyboard redefinition feature. * Special discounts on other Zenithal Software products. * My eternal thanks and friendship. In addition, if you register Zentris by July 30, 1992, you will be able to purchase Super Zentris (available August 1, 1992) for only $10 (retail value: $25). Super Zentris includes: * SuperVGA support (640x480, 800x600, and 1024x768) * Side-to-side two-player modes, as well as modem support * A tournament mode, for finding the BEST Zentris player Right now, before you forget, quick grab an envelope and write a note to: Robert J. Sundling Zenithal Software, Ltd. 200 Rowe Street Stoughton, WI 53589-2352, U.S.A. Be sure to enclose the $10 (US) registration fee, as well as your name and address. Please specify a diskette size (5.25" or 3.5"). If no diskette size is specified, Zentris will be shipped on a 360k 5.25" diskette. Make checks or money orders payable to "Robert J. Sundling" (not "Zenithal Software"). Credit cards cannot be accepted at this time. SHIPPING: The $10 includes all shipping costs for areas within the United States. Overseas purchasers must add $5 for the additional shipping costs. Zentris Manual (February 21, 1992) Page 2 The History of Zentris Zentris was inspired by a similar game of falling-blocks, which shall not be mentioned here. Zentris was created because this wondrous concept was to date implemented in a rather poor way, with low-quality graphics or unconventional controls. Zentris is an attempt to provide this concept in a wonderful and beautiful way. I believe it has been a success. System Requirements Zentris requires an 80x86 computer running DOS with a VGA, MCGA, 8514/A, or compatible graphics adapter. A mouse or joystick is optional but not required. Approximately 512K of free memory is required, the exact amount varies. The Nature of Zentris Zentris is, quite simply, a game. The object of this game is to arrange falling pieces so that they fill up complete rows which then disappear. After every twenty rows, a new level is reached and the pieces fall faster. Every time a piece stops falling or a row is completed, the player scores points. The exact number of points depends on the speed at which the player drops the pieces--the faster the piece is dropped, the more points the player gets. Playing Zentris Pieces fall at a certain speed for each level. The pieces fall faster on higher levels. The player may move the pieces left and right, may rotate the pieces, or may instantly drop the pieces (effectively speeding up gravity until the piece hits another or the bottom). The following keys are available for manipulating the pieces: [Left] Move the piece to the left [Right] Move the piece to the right [5] or [Space] Rotate the piece [Down], [Enter], [Ins] Drop the piece It is recommended that a player use the numeric keypad when playing with keyboard controls, for all the necessary keys are grouped relatively close together. Zentris Manual (February 21, 1992) Page 3 Additionally, a Microsoft-compatible mouse may be used to play. A two button mouse works best, although if a three-button mouse is fully two-button compatible, it will work as well. A Microsoft-compatible trackball may also be used. When playing with a mouse, a player may do the following: Move mouse left Move the piece left Move mouse right Move the piece right Click left button Rotate the piece Click right button Drop the piece Many people find playing with a mouse to be easier than using a keyboard, I myself included. If you have paid for Zentris, your version will have support for a joystick device. The following actions can be used: Move stick left Move the piece left Move stick right Move the piece right Press button Rotate the piece Stick down Drop the piece Joystick Calibration If you have registered Zentris, and have a joystick device, when the game first begins you will be presented with an option to calibrate your joystick. When directed to do so, center your joystick and press ENTER. After this, you will be asked to move your joystick to all four corners. Do so, and press ENTER again. Your joystick is calibrated. You might wonder why joystick calibration is necessary. There are many different models of joysticks available, and there are often subtle differences in different models. Calibration allows Zentris to extract the full potential from your joystick. Also, you may press [J] at any time during the game to recalibrate your joystick if it becomes misaligned. You may also need to do this if you switch your computer out of (or into) "Turbo" mode. If you wish to not use the joystick, simply press ESC at the calibration screen. You may also turn the joystick on and off during the game by pressing [J]. Zentris Manual (February 21, 1992) Page 4 Invocation Options If your VGA system is not 100% compatible with a standard VGA, simply invoke Zentris with the /f command line parameter. The /f must be in lowercase. For example, instead of typing just "zentris" at your DOS prompt, type: zentris /f This will override the check for VGA/MCGA hardware. Please note that Zentris may not operate correctly with such incompat- ible VGA hardware. Keyboard Redefinition If you have registered Zentris, you will be provided with an option to redefine the keyboard at the beginning of the game. This allows you to use alternate keys for playing, rather than the standard keyboard layout. To redefine the keyboard, press [ENTER] at this prompt. If you'd rather just use the normal keys, press [ESC]. The keys you select will be in effect until you exit Zentris. To select keys for a certain action, press them at the appropriate prompts. Zentris allows you to select several different keys for each of the possible actions, so press up to five keys at each prompt. Once you are finished with that action, simply press [ESC]. For example, suppose you wanted the [G] key to move the piece left. When Zentris asks you to press the key(s) for "Piece Left", press [G] and then press [ESC]. Please note that you would then not be able to use the left arrow key to move the piece to the left, and you would have to use the [G] key instead. If you wished to be able to use either [G] or [LEFT] to move the piece to the left, do the following. Instead of pressing [ESC] right after [G], press the [LEFT] key. Then press [ESC]. That indicates to Zentris that both of those keys should mean "move the piece to the left." Special Features While playing the game, the following features may be activated (or inactivated) by pressing the appropriate keys. [N] "Next Piece" display toggle. This display, on the right side of the screen, indicates the type of piece that will be coming next. It is often useful for planning ahead. Zentris Manual (February 21, 1992) Page 5 [S] "Stats" display toggle. This display, on the left side of the screen, indicates the number of pieces of each type the player has re- ceived. Although there is little point to such a display, it is a matter of interest for some people. [L] "Level" display toggle. This display, on the left side of the screen, shows your current level and the number of lines you've completed so far. [G] "Gray scale" toggle. If you prefer to work in black and white, this function toggles the screen from color to shades of gray. [Esc] Shell to DOS. Pressing ESC places you in a DOS shell, where you may perform normal DOS tasks. This is useful if, for example, your boss walks into the room and you don't want him/her to know that you're playing a game. Type "EXIT" and press [Enter] from a DOS prompt to return to Zentris. [R] Redraw the display screen. This is often useful if you're using pop-up TSR programs that can leave untidy "droppings". [P] Pause the game. If you have to answer the telephone, or simply want to stop playing for a while, press this key. Any other key resumes play from where you left off. [F2] Sound on/off. When sound is off, clicks will be heard instead of beeps. [C] Clock toggle on/off. If you often play Zentris late at night, this feature can be useful for telling you when you need to go to bed. [I] Initials on/off. REGISTERED VERSION ONLY. For those of you who have purchased Zentris, pressing this key during the game allows you to place your initials on all of the pieces. [J] Joystick calibration. REGISTERED VERSION ONLY. See the section of this manual titled "Joystick calibration." [Q] [X] Quit. This function allows you to quit Zentris Manual (February 21, 1992) Page 6 Zentris and return to your operating system. Answer [Y]es to the "Quit?" query to exit. [F1] [?] [H] Help. Display a help screen summarizing the available keys. Compatibility Zentris is fully compatible with the DESQView operating environment and can operate in background windows and virtual screens. Zentris should be given approximately 512k of memory, it may or may not operate in less. Zentris can operate under Microsoft Windows, although the mouse may not function in the game. Give Zentris about 512k of memory in its PIF file--although it may work in a bit less. Experiment. Keep an eye out for "Zentris for Windows"--coming sometime in late 1992. New Features New in version 1.20: * Extended 8514/A compatibility * New styles for pop up boxes and row erasure * Enhanced joystick support for registered version * /f parameter for incompatible VGA systems * Clock feature * Some previously undocumented keys now listed in the manual * Support for INS key to drop pieces New in version 1.30: * New background screen design * Keyboard redefinition for registered version * Some minor changes to the manual * Support for initials on the pieces New in version 1.31: * Fixed "high-scores-not-being-saved" bug (thanks, Joel!!) * Cleaned up introduction screen (there ya go, Pete) The Best 'Tris in the World? I think so. And so does the nuclear engineer who originally called it that. But, if you have any questions or comments, please write, or call me at home between 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm Central Standard Time at (608) 873-8385. Sorry, I cannot take orders over the phone. Zentris Manual (February 21, 1992) Page 7 Alphabetical Index /f . . . . . . . . . . . 5, 7 pause . . . . . . . . . . . 6 BBS . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 quit . . . . . . . . . . 6, 7 checks . . . . . . . . . . 2 redraw . . . . . . . . . . 6 clock . . . . . . . . . . 6, 7 registration . . . . . . . 2 DESQView . . . . . . . . 1, 7 requirements . . . . . . . 3 drop . . . . . . . . 3, 4, 7 rotate . . . . . . . . . 3, 4 Fidonet . . . . . . . . . . 1 shell to DOS . . . . . . . 6 gray scale . . . . . . . . 6 sound . . . . . . . . . . . 6 initials . . . . . . . . 6, 7 stats . . . . . . . . . . . 6 invocation options . . . . 5 Super Zentris . . . . . . . 2 joystick . . . . . 2-4, 6, 7 SuperVGA . . . . . . . . . 2 keyboard . . . . . . . 2-5, 7 trackball . . . . . . . . . 4 level . . . . . . . . . . 3, 6 upgrades . . . . . . . . . 2 money orders . . . . . . . 2 UUCP . . . . . . . . . . . 1 mouse . . . . . . . . 3, 4, 7 viruses . . . . . . . . . . 1 next piece . . . . . . . . 5 Zentris Manual (February 21, 1992) Page 8